Don’t demonise the EC – Dan Botwe

A former flagbearer-aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dan Botwe has called on Ghanaians and leaders of political parties to restore confidence in the Electoral Commission.

Dan Botwe said having gone through turbulent times following the declaration of the 2012 presidential election results, which were challenged by three opposition leaders in the Supreme Court, it was important for Ghanaians to prepare for another of such possibilities even after the 2016 polls.

The former General Secretary of the NPP, who was speaking at the launch of a book written by political analyst and pollster Ben Ephson titled 2012 & 2016 elections, cited the disagreement over the 1992 election results as an example to buttress his point.

For that reason, the Okere MP says Ghanaians must give the Electoral Commission a chance to do a good job come 2016.

“We have made great strides after 1992 as a country. It is important that we do not demonise the Electoral Commission. All of us should do everything within our power to ensure that we have the Electoral Commission that we all deserve, and would like to work with, so that we all run our elections in a very peaceful atmosphere. Ghana will continue the peaceful atmosphere that we have,” Botwe said.

The EC came under a lot of heat after it declared the 2012 election results in favour of the governing National Democratic Congress. The party led the presidential poll by 50.70% ahead of the NPP’s 47.74%.

Candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, his Running Mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the party’s Chairman at the time – Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey – challenged the results at the Supreme Court. The apex Court eventually upheld the NDC Candidate’s victory eight months after the election.

Some opposition leaders have been suspicious of the EC after the 2012 elections.

But Botwe says it is incumbent on every member of the country to work together in modeling the activities of the EC towards ensuring that it fulfils its constitutional mandate.

“Let’s criticise when we have [to], but at the end of the day, it’s important that we all accept the Electoral Commission as the constitutional body to regulate and to govern our elections.”

He also called on the EC to be “proactive” and ensure the occurrences of 2012 do not get repeated in the upcoming 2016 elections.

Mr. Ben Ephson’s 311-page book chronicles Ghana’s electoral processes and culture with facts on the 2012 elections at both the presidential and parliamentary levels.

The pollster also covered Ghana’s election petition hearing in the book, giving details and analyses of events within that time. He included summaries of some of the judgments and dramatic moments in court, and gave an October-November 2013 impact assessment of the petition on Ghanaians and the economy.